to raise money for the treasury,
William Pitt proposed that a tax be placed on the wearing of watches."

"That's worse than having to pay a tax on theater tickets--a good
sight!" jested Christopher.

"It certainly meant the taxation of a very useful commodity; we should
term it an indispensable one. At that period of history, though, watches
and clocks were far less cheap and common and therefore Mr. Pitt may
have classed them as luxuries and rated them as our government does
perfumery. However that may be, his suggestion of levying two shillings
sixpence on every silver watch and ten shillings on every gold one, with
the additional tax of five shillings on every clock, went through."

"I don't see why the English people stood for it," said the boy, his
hereditary resentment against unjust taxation aroused.

"They were pretty thoroughly vexed, I assure you," was the reply. "It
meant, you see, very disastrous results for the horologists. In fact,
even outside the trade feeling ran high. Not only were numberless
excellent workmen thrown out of their jobs and the watchmaking industry
given a general setback, but the public, just coming to appreciate the
value of a good timepiece, was vastly inconvenienced. Many persons
revolted and ceased to carry watches rather than pay the tax. Some did
this as a protest; others because they could not afford the additional
expenditure. In the meantime an article known as the Act of Parliament
clock was made and put up in the taverns, inns, and coffee houses to aid
customers and serve as an additional declaration against the Pitt tax.
So general was public disapproval and so bitter the storm created that a
year after the law had passed it had to be repealed."

"That's the stuff! It ought to have been," cried young America
fervently.

"Yes, I agree with you. It certainly was a mistaken method for raising
an income for the State. Once abolished, the industry slowly began to
pick up again. Nevertheless, for all that, England never thrived at
watchmaking as did France, Switzerland and our own nation. One reason
was because she clung stubbornly to the old-fashioned fusee long after
other people had abandoned it for the spring. There she made a great
mistake. Still, after this Pitt tax was abolished, the craft began, as I
said, to get on its feet again. Little by little machinery replaced hand
labor and as more watches were turned out the price of them dropped.
Also, as foreign trade inc